On My Way Home
by Taz145
Summary: Ichigo helped form the Gotei 13 with Yamamoto but left when the loss of his friends became to much and retreated into a peaceful life in Karakura town. What will happen when me meets Rukia? No pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Thank you for taking the time to read my story. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction so I can't promise it'll be perfect. In fact, it'll probably be far from perfect. To help me write a better story I ask you to please leave a review with some helpful comments. I can only learn from my mistakes and the more mistakes I see, the faster I learn.

I don't own Bleach in any way, shape, or form.

* * *

Prologue:

Ichigo Kurosaki was old. Very old. His last estimate of his age placed him at around 2000 years old. Give or take a few centuries. The only other person who could claim to be older than him was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Yamamoto. He was an old friend and companion of Ichigo's back when they were both young men and bloodthirsty. They traveled through the Rukongai and honed their skills on those who challenged them. They eventually gained a reputation throughout by their nicknames, The Sun of Death and The Bloody Moon. Roughly 1000 years had passed before the need for battle eventually waned in the two warriors and they began to see the conditions people had to live in to survive. They also saw how easily the people with power took from those without any, and this eventually led to them trying to protect the weak. Though their efforts saved many, it was another 300 years before they realized that they alone couldn't save everyone. It was Yamamoto who first thought of creating an army and it was Ichigo who thought of creating Shin'ō Academy to train their future soldiers. They spent many years working on making their dreams a reality. They wandered the Rukongai looking for powerful people that would assist them in reaching their goals and eventually had enough allies to start their academy.

After building their school, they set out on finding the students to fill the halls. Most of the potential students had a fair amount of Reiryoku but they did manage to find a handful that had enough that Ichigo had planned to groom them to be the Captains of their army.

It had been a very long time since the academy had been opened and Yamamoto and Ichigo's army was strong and continued to grow. They now had a total of five captains. The first captains of the army beside the founders were two young men and a young woman.

Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake were both found a recruited by Yamamoto who treated them as if they were his sons. Shunsui was a bit of a slacker and was known to be a womanizer and a heavy drinker. Jūshirō was a very calm person and very quick to make friends with his wide smile and happy tone. Yamamoto took great pride in the two and trained them himself to ensure that they reach their full potential.

It was Ichigo who found their only female captain. Her name was Retsu Unohana. Retsu was an interesting person to have as a captain in an army as she hated fighting. While she was very well trained with a sword, Ichigo made sure of that, her true power lay in her healing abilities. Ichigo had found her through word of mouth while looking for potential students. He had heard about a young girl with amazing powers to heal almost any injury. Ichigo followed to rumors and found Retsu. He quickly convinced her to join the academy and she soon graduated and took her place as captain and as the head healer for the army.

The first five captains all held a very close bond with Ichigo and Yamamoto as their mentors and Shunsui, Jūshirō, and Retsu as the students and eventually, children. Although it wasn't publicly shown, Yamamoto loved his two protégés as if they were his blood and Ichigo was the same with Retsu, or as he liked to call her "Little Hime".

As their army continued to grow, Ichigo and Yamamoto were approached by a being that called itself the Spirit King. The being informed them of the ongoing rampage that the corrupt souls known as Hollows were wreaking upon the human world. He asked them to travel to the human world and purify the Hollows so that they may finally rest in peace. Ichigo and Yamamoto accepted without hesitation to help the weak. In return the Soul King provided them with 7 of his finest soldiers to serve in their army and bestowed them the title of Shinigami. With a new mission before them, the entire army (now known as the Gotei 13), trained harder than before in order to protect those that could not protect themselves.

The Gotei 13 carried out their mission with great dedication for many years until one of their numbers grew tired of fighting. The decision came after a mission to the human world to fight a powerful hollow. Of the 20 soldiers that followed their captain into battle, only 9 made it back. The loss of so many of his friends and companions made Ichigo depressed and he soon wished to retire and live in the human world. Due to his immense contributions to the Gotei 13, Ichigo was allowed to leave with his powers to live in the human world. While Yamamoto was sad to see his friend as a broken shell, he let him leave in the hopes that he would one day return.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Rukia Kuchiki was a young shinigami, having only been in the service of the Gotei 13 for 40 years. She had made it through the academy with high marks and was very capable with Kido. She was currently and unseated member of the Thirteenth Division under Jūshirō Ukitake. The reason why she had not been given a higher ranking was because of her adoptive brother, Byakuya Kuchiki.

Byakuya was the current captain of the sixth division and was known for being strict and cold. What many people didn't know was that he did care deeply for Rukia even if he didn't show it. His late wife was the older sister of Rukia's and she had made Byakuya promise to find and take care of her after she died. It was because of this promise that Byakuya approached Jūshirō and asked him to not give Rukia a seated position in order to keep her safe. Jūshirō reluctantly agreed and didn't grant the position she deserved.

It was because she was an unseated officer that she was given a two week assignment to purify any Hollows found in Karakura Town. She was nervous about being on her own but determined to show her brother that she wasn't weak.

Rukia had just arrived in Karakura town and proceeded to make her way towards the Gotei 13's contact in the human world to obtain her gigai. A few minutes later she found herself standing outside of a small shop with the sign "Urahara Shōten" above it. Quickly walking forward, she entered the store to find a small girl with black hair done up in two pigtails on the side of her head with to long strands falling in front of her face parting just above her nose.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked in a timid tone.

"I'm here to see Urahara-san?" Rukia replied.

"He's in the back. One moment please." The small girl whispered before promptly disappearing.

Rukia stared blankly at the spot the girl had stood before looking around the shop. Just from the public merchandise it looked as though this was just a simple candy shop, but hopefully this Urahara had the supplies she needed.

"Ohhh helllllllooooo Shinigami-sama! What can I help you with today?" a voice shouted from behind her. Being surprised, Rukia fell onto the ground.

"Are you alright down there Shinigami-sama?" The same voice asked. Looking up she saw a blond haired man wearing green and white striped bucket hat and a brown haori. Glaring at him she raised a leg and kicked him in the face.

"Do you go around scaring all you customers like that!?" She shouted at him while he clutched his now bleeding nose.

"I apologize. You were so lost in thought that I couldn't pass the chance up. I am Kisuke Urahara, owner of this humble shop, how may I help you today Shinigami-sama?" He explained with a wide grin on his face. Rukia sent him another glare but calmed herself down before things got out hand. Her brother would be disappointed if she lost her temper on a mere shopkeeper.

"I'm here for the supplies that the thirteenth requested." Rukia said while still calming herself down.

"Ahhh. So you're our protector for the next couple weeks. Good luck Shinigami-sama." He said while ducking behind the counter and reappearing with a bag of clothes and a life-less copy of Rukia.

"Here are your clothes and your gigai. Don't worry about paying now; I'll just start a tab for you." He said gleefully while hiding most of his face behind a fan. Rukia just shot him another glare and got inside her gigai.

"Thanks for the supplies Urahara-san." Rukia said while picking up her clothes, hoping to get away from the crazy shopkeeper soon.

"Be safe now Shinigami-sama!" Urahara shouted at her as she quickly left his shop. As soon as she left his wide grin dropped and his eyes gained a calculating gleam.

"I wonder how long it took to convince Byakuya to let her go on a mission by herself." He mused while walking to his back room. An old friend had dropped by to visit that he hadn't seen in a very long time.

* * *

Rukia had just finished her first week of patrolling and she found herself extremely bored. She had only encountered 4 hollows so far and they were all defeated very quickly. She had taken to sitting on top of building or telephone poles and watching the humans run around, completely oblivious to the dangers that they were in due to the hollows. Tonight was another slow night with only one hollow showing up for the entire day. Having nothing better to do, she decided to see if Urahara could use some help at the store.

She quietly entered the store and saw nobody in the front room but heard voices coming from the back room. Tip-toeing into the back of the shop, she stopped in front of a trap door where she could hear loud laughter coming from beneath. Glancing around she lifted to door and started to climb down the ladder. After going down a few rungs, she was surprised to feel sunlight on her face. Stopping her descent to look around she saw a vast expanse of rocky terrain and a sunlit sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. Looking down, she could barely make Urahara sitting at a table with a man sitting across from him. The first this Rukia noticed about him was his bright orange hair that made him extremely visible, even from the height she was currently at.

Quickly making her way down the rest of the ladder she began to make her way towards Urahara and the orange haired man. As she got closer she could hear loud laughter coming from both men.

"_Maybe I should wait until later. I'm probably intruding on their conversation." _Rukia thought to herself. Before she could turn around and leave she heard a deep voice shout out.

"Oi, Kuchiki Rukia, you just gonna stand there all night or are you gonna join us?" Rukia jumped, being startled out of her thoughts. She quickly headed over to see who knew her name and how they knew it. When she approached the table she quickly took in the orange haired man. He appeared to be fairly tall man, in his early 20's. His orange hair was cut short and ended just past his eye brows. He had peach coloured skin and dark brown eyes.

"Took you long enough to get down her Kuchiki. We've been waiting most of the night for you to show up." The orange haired man said before taking a long swig out of the sake bottle in front of him.

"How could you be certain that I would come here?" Rukia asked, testing his knowledge to see how much he knew about Soul Society.

"You don't have a job, you don't go to school and I scared off all the hollows so you'd get bored and come here to hang out." He replied in a cool tone.

"What!? How would you scare off a hollow? I can barely sense any reiatsu coming from you!" Rukia shouted in disbelief.

"That's because I keep most of it under lock and key. I let some off while you were sleeping last night to scare the hollows away. They may be attracted to reiatsu but too much from one source scares the weak guys off." He calmly answered.

"Just who exactly are you?" Rukia really wanted to know who this stranger was now.

"Was wondering when you were gonna ask me that." He sighed. "I suppose I should do proper introductions." He set his sake bottle down and stood up and faced Rukia.

"Pleased to meet you Kuchiki Rukia, Thirteenth Division of the Gotei 13. My name, is Ichigo Kurosaki".


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Nice to meet you Ichigo Kurosaki, but who exactly are you?" Rukia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who am I!? What the hell are they teaching you kids at Shin'ō Academy these days?" Ichigo hollered. Hearing him reference the academy, Rukia started to connect some dots.

"So you're a shinigami then, right?" She asked, hoping to figure out why he was in the human world.

"Nope. I was a shinigami. I quit." Ichigo replied as he sat down again.

"You quit? You can't quit being a shinigami! The only way you stop is if you die!" Rukia shouted in disbelief.

"Well then kiddo, I'm that special exception to the rule. I asked to go and Yamamoto said yes. End of story." Ichigo replied.

"Okay fine. Let's say that you did quit and the Captain-Commander let you leave, he would have at least sealed your powers so that you wouldn't affect the human world." Rukia shot back.

"Oh they tried, but let's just say that the kido corps skills are a little overrated." Ichigo said as he finished off another bottle of sake.

"Better not let Tessai hear you say that Ichigo. He might get mad at you." Urahara warned with a little mirth in his voice.

"Bah. He knows that I don't include him or the big guy in that grouping. Besides, from what I hear they still haven't managed to find a new Captain to fill his shoes yet." Ichigo responded brushing of the warning. Urahara just shrugged mumbling something about Ichigo and a funeral. Ichigo then turned back to Rukia.

"Now then little Shinigami, the reason I wanted you here is because I have some questions about Soul Society." Rukia decided to try and use this opportunity to her advantage.

"Okay, I'll answer some of your questions but only if you answer mine." She replied. A wide grin formed on Ichigo's face.

"Fair deal kiddo. I'll go first. Who are the current captains of the Gotei 13?" Rukia was confused. Why did he want to know the names of the captains? There's not much he could do with that information.

"The current captains are: Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Suì-Fēng, Captain Gin Ichimaru, Captain Retsu Unohana, Captain Aizen Sōsuke, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain Sajin Komamura, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, Captain Kaname Tōsen, Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Captain Jūshirō Ukitake." Rukia quickly listed off.

"My turn now. What division were you a part of before you 'quit'?" Rukia asked.

"The Fifth Division. What rank are you?" Ichigo asked before she could comment on his answer.

"I'm currently unseated." She answered while looking at the ground in embarrassment. Ichigo's eyes narrowed at her answer. Her reiatsu was strong enough for her to be a 5 seat at least. Why was she still unseated?

"What was your rank?" Rukia already had an idea of what rank he was but wanted to be sure.

"Captain. How long have you been a Shinigami?"

"40 years. Same question to you." Rukia knew he was old as Captain Aizen had held the post for the last 200 years.

"Longer than most. I'm out of questions for now but since you answered all of mine so nicely, you get one more. Better make it count." Ichigo replied with a grin on his face. Rukia paused for a moment, thinking about her final question. Ichigo just waited patiently and Urahara looked to be taking a nap. After a minute of thinking, Rukia looked right at Ichigo.

"Why did you leave?" As soon as she asked this question, Ichigo lost his grin and his eyes darkened. Urahara opened his eyes and looked at Ichigo expectantly. He pondered the question for a few minutes before taking a long drink of sake.

"I quit because of the paperwork." He answered with a grin back on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. Rukia stared at him in disbelief. There was no way the Captain-Commander would let him leave because of paperwork.

"Paperwork!? That's the best bullshit you can come up with. I answered all of your questions honestly. You should do the same!" Rukia shouted.

"Bullshit or not, that's the answer I'm giving and that's the answer you've got. Now run along little Shinigami, you have a hollow to kill." Ichigo calmly said as he got up from the table and started to walk away, his back to Rukia.

"What hollow!? You said you scared them all off or was that bullshit too?" Rukia yelled after him. All she got in response was a small wave from Ichigo as he continued to walk away. Rukia was about to yell at him again when her hollow detector went off. Glancing down at it, she shot one last glare at Ichigo's back before sprinting out of the large chamber to deal with the new hollow.

* * *

Ichigo let out a heavy sigh as he felt the young Shinigami leave to training grounds. He hadn't expected her question to still affect him so badly after all these years. He had made his peace with the friends he lost, but when she asked him why he left, all those emotions came flooding back. Maybe he wasn't over it yet.

"She's gonna figure out who you are when she goes back to Soul Society, you know that right?" Ichigo glanced over his shoulder and saw Urahara leaning on a nearby rock, looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"I know, I know. It'll be easier if she finds out who I am when I'm not there. Too many questions." Ichigo replied as he turned to face Urahara.

"People know how old Yamamoto is but they never ask him those questions." Urahara countered.

"No one asks him because they're scared of him. Me on the other hand? To them I'm just an old man who ran away from his problems." Ichigo had always felt ashamed that he left his friends without thinking how his leaving affected them.

"Maybe it's time to stop running then." Urahara said before leaving with shunpo, leaving only a cloud of dust in his wake. Ichigo watched him leave before looking up at the false sun. He closed his eyes, feeling the rays warm his skin.

"Maybe it is time."

* * *

Rukia was excited. Today was her last day in Karakura Town. At 1300 a senkaimon would open in front of Urahara's shop and should would go back home to Soul Society. All in all her mission had been fairly easy. In her two weeks in Karakura town she only had to fight 8 hollows and all of those had been extremely weak. She had briefly wondered if Ichigo Kurosaki had anything to do with the low number of hollows but she hadn't seen or sensed him since she first met him. She had wanted to talk to him again. He was a complete mystery to her and she wanted real answers to the many questions she had about him. She had briefly thought about trying to track him down but decided that she could just ask her captain if he knew anything about him. Captain Ukitake was one of the oldest captains so chances were he had served alongside Ichigo at one point.

Now Rukia was restless. The day had been going by extremely slow and there were no hollows to be found. She at least found some plus souls to preform konso but that was over two hours ago and she still had another two hours to go before she was able to return home.

Sitting down on her favorite telephone pole she decided to watch the people walk around. She found living humans interesting with all of their inventions. They had even found a way to seal drinks into square boxes but she was unable to figure out how to open them. Putting aside their ingenuity, Rukia couldn't help but feel slightly depressed. Watching all the humans running around from place to place, trying to get work done before the day was out. The knowledge that anything they did would have no impact on where they would go when they died made Rukia feel sorry that everything they did was for nothing. Rukia paused, imagining what would happen if she told the humans that most of what they did in life was useless, that they should just make enough to feed their families and to live their life to the fullest.

"You're gonna miss the senkaimon if you sit up here for much longer Shinigami-sama." A voice said from above her. She looked up and saw Urahara staring at her.

"Thanks for reminding me Urahara-san. I was just daydreaming." Rukia said while standing up in the telephone pole.

"I can walk you back to the shop if you would like." Urahara offered.

"I'll take you up on that offer Urahara-san. There are some things I'd like to ask you." Rukia replied as she fell into step beside Urahara.

"Please, ask away." Urahara said with a grin on his face.

"Do you know the real reason why Kurosaki left the Gotei 13?" Rukia had a feeling that Urahara may hold many of the answers she was looking for.

"I do, but that isn't my story to tell. Ichigo-sama will tell you when he is ready." Rukia had been hoping for a straightforward answer but she wasn't that surprised that Urahara didn't give her one.

"Do you know why he was allowed to leave with his powers intact then?" Rukia was hoping to at least gain some new information for Urahara.

"Yamamoto owed him a favour. Ichigo-sama called it in when he left." This answer surprised Rukia. The Captain-Commander was in debt to someone? What did Ichigo do to gain a favour from the strongest Shinigami in all of Soul Society?

"If you want to know more Shinigami-sama, I suggest that you asked either the Captain-Commander if he has the time or Ichigo-sama himself."

"When am I going to see Kurosaki again? I can't just go to the Human World whenever I want." Rukia asked. It seemed Urahara knew something that she didn't. Looking up she saw that they were approaching the shop. Before she could ask him what he meant he spoke up again.

"You'll see soon enough. I hope you have a pleasant trip Shinigami-sama. Please come visit us soon!" Urahara said behind his fan and then disappeared into his shop. Rukia checked her phone and saw that the portal should open in about 10 minutes. She was happy that her mission had finally ended and she was going to be going home. She decided to sit down in front of the shop while waiting for the senkaimon.

"When's that portal gonna open up Kuchiki-san?" A deep voice asked from beside her. Looking up she immediately spotted Ichigo's orange hair but what really drew her attention was the black shihakusho he was dressed in with a sleeveless white haori over top. Underneath the haori she saw the hilt to a sword sticking out. The hilt was a deep red that looked the exact colour of blood with some bright silver wrappings.

"It should be here in about 5 minutes. Why are you dressed like a Shinigami? I thought you quit."

"There are some people that I need to see in Soul Society. I thought that I should look the part." Ichigo replied looking down at Rukia.

"Will you be allowed back in though? You quit the Gotei 13; they may not welcome you back with open arms." Rukia asked

"I still have some friends in high places to make sure they won't kill me on sight. Not that they could though." Ichigo answered in a cocky tone.

"Alright, I just hope I don't get in trouble for letting you come through." If she got in trouble for bringing an exile back into the Seireitei there was a good chance she would be killed. Before Ichigo could say anything else a black butterfly caught his eye alerting him to the opening of the senkaimon. Ichigo turned to Rukia with a small smile on his face.

"Looks like our ride is here, eh Kuchiki-san?" Rukia held out her hand for the hell butterfly to land on.

"Yep. Let's head home." Rukia replied as they walked into the senkaimon leaving the street deserted with only the sound of the doors of the portal closing remaining.

* * *

**A/N: **Rukia did a tour in Karakura town without losing her powers!? I couldn't think of a way to write it in without it being to cliché in my eyes (She giving her powers to Orihime or Tatsuki or having a hollow drain her reiatsu).I do have some ideas that involve her and Aizen so hopefully I can flesh them out soon. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I don't own bleach

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Retsu Unohana was one of the oldest current captains of the Gotei 13. Due to her age she had seen many shinigami die in battle or, more often, lying on an operating table in her hospital. She was always more of a healer than a warrior but she had probably seen more bloodied corpses than the current Kenpachi. She felt pain in her heart every time she lost a patient which is why she tried to live a happy life. It was easier when she was younger. When she lived in the Rukongai, people came to her with small wounds like training wounds or a broken bone and sometimes an infection like the flu. She would heal them and they would pay her with food and shelter. She very rarely had a patient die on her and when they did, she would stay by their side then entire time making sure they were comfortable in their last moments. Then she became the healer of the Gotei 13.

It started out the same, small injuries like sword cuts and kidō burns, but soon people started coming in with arms missing, or their body's torn open by claws. Retsu still saved the majority of her patients but some still died. The difference was that this time, she could stay with them when they died. There was someone else who needed help. She tried her best to make sure they didn't die alone but she couldn't be everywhere. It was in these early days that she started to break down. She stopped sleeping, eating and was wearing herself out by trying to heal everyone without regards to her safety. Ichigo, the man who found her and trained her, took her aside one day.

"Retsu-chan, is there something wrong?" He asked in a gentle tone. He knew what the problem was but knew she wouldn't learn if she didn't admit it herself.

"No Ichigo-sensei." She replied in a weak voice. Ichigo let out a heavy sigh and couched down so he was eye level with her.

"Then why is the colour on your face coming from the bags under your eyes?" He tried again in a calm tone.

"I haven't had much time for food or sleep Sensei. There are many people that need my help." She knew it wasn't a good excuse but was hoping that her Sensei would buy it. He didn't.

"Retsu, you have an entire division of people here who can heal them too. You don't have to do it all by yourself. You're not alone here." With those final words, Retsu broke down.

"But they ARE alone." She cried, tears streaming down her face. "They need to know they aren't alone when they die." Ichigo pulled her into a gentle hug, allowing her to bury her face in his haori.

Ichigo whispered in her ear while rubbing her back soothingly. "But they aren't alone Hime-chan. Nobody is ever alone when they die. The ones they fought and died for may not be there in person holding their hand, but they are there in spirit. Their comrades that are still in battle swing their blades for him, their family mourn for him and the people that they saved will pray for him to receive good fortune in this life or the next." Retsu pulled her face away to look at his faces. Her eyes were red and puffy and tear marks stained her face.

"Do you understand what I'm saying Hime-chan?" He asked looking into her eyes.

Meeting his eyes she responded. "Yes Sensei."

Ichigo just smiled and planted a small kiss on her forehead. "That's good to hear Hime-chan. Now, let's get you some food and then to bed, okay?" He asked with a smile on his face as he held out his hand. Retsu just grabbed his hand and gave him a big smile as they walked towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Ichigo." Her voice came out as a strained whisper. Remembering Ichigo always left her with a pain in her heart which hadn't gone away in over 200 years. Ichigo was more than just a teacher or fellow captain to her. He was her father and she was his Little Hime. She smiled to herself as she thought of all the times he called her that. His voice was always light and full of laughter and it brought a smile to her face. Her smile faded again as she remembered his goodbye.

She was standing in her quarters finishing up some paperwork when she heard her door opening. As she looked up she saw her tōchan standing in the doorway. She smiled and got up to greet him but when she looked into his eyes she knew something was wrong. His eyes were usually filled with laughter and happiness but now they were a deep dull brown that were clouded by pain.

"What's wrong tōchan?" She asked as she guided him into a seat.

"I got them killed Retsu. They followed me and they died." His voice was broken and filled with pain.

Retsu's heart stopped. She knew about his mission. They had located a powerful hollow that was attacking a large human settlement and Ichigo's division had been ordered to kill it.

"How many tōchan?" She asked in a shaky voice. She feared the number but needed to know.

"20 followed me. 9 came back." Ichigo was close to tears now. He had been known for having a close connection to his division and the loss of so many of his closest friends had broken him. Retsu didn't know what to say anymore so she just sat down next to him and held her tōchan while he grieved for his men. Retsu didn't know how long they stayed like that in the silence but eventually the silence was broken by two simple words.

"I'm leaving."

Those two words felt like someone had stabbed her heart. She understood why he wanted – no, needed – to leave, but those two words still hurt more than any cut.

"I understand." Two more words that hurt to say. She understood but she didn't want to see him go. He was the man who raised her like his daughter. He trained her to be strong but she didn't know if she was strong enough to survive this.

She was woken up the next morning by a kiss planted on her forehead. Slowly opening her eyes she saw Ichigo standing over her with a sad smile on his face. They left the Fourth Division in complete silence and walked to the senkaimon. As they approached she saw the Captain-Commander standing in front of the massive gate with Shunsui and Jūshirō standing on either side of him. All of them had sad smiles of their faces. Ichigo walked over and said his goodbyes to the man he called brother and then the two young boys that were like nephews to him. Retsu stayed back far enough that she wouldn't hear their words. Ichigo finally turned to Retsu, tears forming in his eyes and already streaming down her face.

"Goodbye my little Hime-chan. I love you." He whispered as she clung to him, trying to pour all of her love into him with one hug.

"I love you too tōchan." She hoped that those few words carried all the emotions she had for him.

He simply placed one final kiss upon her forehead and walked into the senkaimon and then he was gone.

* * *

Retsu blinked and shook her head clearing the memories from the front of her mind. It had happened a long time ago but she still held out hope that he would return one day.

Looking at her charts she saw that she had a checkup to perform on Jūshirō today. The white haired captain of the Thirteenth Division had been sick for a very long time with an illness that appeared to be simple tuberculosis but was immune to any treatments she tried, even medicine from the Human World. He was getting better recently so Retsu was hoping that she would be able to but the illness in remission soon. Checking the clock she saw that she was going to be late if she didn't hurry so she grabbed her medical supplies and used shunpo to arrive outside of the Thirteenth Division barracks. She knocked on the door bell and waited for it to be answered. She soon heard some shouting from inside the barracks and as it grew nearer she managed to make out what they were saying.

"No! I'm going to answer to door. You don't do it politely you fat oaf!" This was yelled by a young woman.

A man's voce answered back. "I answer the door more politely than you! You just want to suck up to the captain!"

The argument carried on like this, growing louder and louder by the second. Retsu sighed, Jūshirō's third seats meant well but they were a little over zealous and always competed with each other for his attention. The shouting abruptly stopped and the door was opened revealing Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki, the two third seats of the Thirteenth.

"Good evening Captain Unohana! How can I help you today?" They both said at the same time. This of course started another argument.

"I can help you better Captain!" Kiyone shouted.

"No I can help you Captain!" Sentarō shouted back. Retsu was starting to get a headache so she decided to cut in.

"I'm here to check up on Captain Ukitake. Could you please both alert him quietly?" Retsu asked putting on her 'special' smile. Both third seats stopped their yelling and mouthed a quick 'yes' and tiptoed to their captain's room. Retsu smiled to herself and made her way to Jūshirō's room at a moderate pace. She walked into his room and gave a small nod of head to Kiyone and Sentarō.

"Hello Retsu. How are you today?" Jūshirō asked with a large smile on his face.

Retsu returned the smile. "I am very well. How are you doing today? Have you had any attacks recently?"

"Not a single one for the past month. I have been feeling stronger too." Jūshirō answered. Retsu made a note and looked up at Jūshirō and noticed that he wasn't looking pale and didn't look tired at all.

"This is very good news Jūshirō. I believe that your illness may be going into remission very soon. Hopefully you can be cured within the next year." Retsu was very pleased with this news as she and Jūshirō had been friends for many years and seeing him weak and sick had been hard for Retsu.

"Really? That's fantastic!" Jūshirō replied enthusiastically with a large grin. The rest of exam went very well with Retsu creating a new treatment plan that would hopefully heal Jūshirō completely.

"Would you care to stay for some tea Retsu? We haven't sat and talked for a while." Jūshirō asked while getting two cups of tea.

"Of course Jūshirō. Thank you." She replied while taking one of the cups from Jūshirō.

"Isn't one of your division members supposed to return from the Human World today?" Retsu asked while she sipped her tea.

"Oh yes. Rukia Kuchiki went on a two weak protection duty of Karakura Town. In fact, she should be returning within the hour." Jūshirō answered. He was very excited for Rukia to return as he was hoping that he could use her success to show Byakuya that she was ready to be promoted.

"I never understood why Byakuya wanted to keep her from being promoted. If he never acknowledges her power then she will eventually become as powerful as her rank. I can understand him trying to protect her but I think he's taking it a bit too far. I was never held back but if something was out of my grasp, my teacher stepped in and helped me." Retsu commented.

"Yes well, your teacher probably wouldn't get along with Byakuya very well." Jūshirō chuckled.

"No he wouldn't." Retsu said quietly, more to herself than Jūshirō. He reached across the table and grasped her hands.

"I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories Retsu. He will be back one day." Jūshirō tried to reassure her.

"I know. I look for him every day." Retsu gave him a small smile.

"Now let's go meet your subordinate." She said while standing up. Jūshirō just smiled and stood up following Retsu as she left his room towards the senkaimon.

* * *

**A/N: **I promise that Ichigo and Retsu will reunite next chapter! I didn't feel that Ichigo and Retsu's relationship had a solid base yet and wanted to show the depth of emotions that they have for each other. Once again, thanks for reading and please leave a review.

Some term definition.

Tōchan – an informal version of father

Hime – princess

Chan – A suffix used for young women that expresses affection towards the person


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Ichigo calmly walked behind Rukia was they travelled through the Dangai heading towards Soul Society. Ichigo was becoming more nervous the closer they got towards the end of the tunnel. He was nervous of how everyone would respond to seeing him again after a few hundred years. Yamamoto would probably ask him what took him so long, Shunsui would ask him if he wanted to drink and Jūshirō would welcome him back with a smile regardless. He was most nervous about seeing Retsu again. They didn't part on bad terms but they could've been better and he hoped that she wouldn't hate him for leaving. Ichigo took a deep breath and tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine but there was still some lingering doubt in the back of his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued walking ahead.

"Last chance to warn me if you're gonna get me killed when we walk out of here" Rukia warned.

"They won't try to kill you and if they do, I'll protect you." Ichigo promised. Rukia wasn't sure if was supposed to be reassured or nervous about his answer. She just sighed and turned to the end of the tunnel.

"Ready?" She asked. Ichigo took a deep breath.

"Ready." He replied. She gave him one last glance and then walked into the bright light that indicated the end of their trip through the Dangai.

* * *

Jūshirō and Retsu stood in front of the large senkaimon and watched as the kido corps opened the doors in anticipation for Rukia's return. As the senkaimon activated they saw a hell butterfly fly out of the portal having finished its job of guiding a shinigami through the Dangai safely. Jūshirō was very excited to see Rukia again. He had a soft spot for the young shinigami and was proud of her for completing her mission without fail. Retsu always liked seeing young shinigami come back from their first solo mission as they were always full of joy and pride. Jūshirō smile grew when he saw Rukia step through the senkaimon. She looked around and looked a little sad when she didn't notice her brother waiting to welcome her back but smiled when she saw her captain.

Retsu smiled when she saw Rukia's expression change when she saw Jūshirō waiting for her but she became confused when she saw Rukia turn around and stared at the senkaimon as if she was expecting something to follow her out. She looked at Jūshirō and saw that he was just as confused as her. She looked back at the large portal and motioned for the kidō corps to be ready for an unscheduled traveler. The current group leader nodded and had his men get into battle position. Retsu raised her hands in preparation to fire her own kidō and Jūshirō had his hand on his zanpakutō. She was about to order Rukia to step away from the gate when she saw who had just stepped though the senkaimon. Her heart stopped. She couldn't think. The impossible had just happened.

Just as shocked as Retsu but still able to think he called out to a kidō corps member.

"One of you, go get the Captain-Commander immediately!" Jūshirō ordered.

Rukia was now beginning to become worried about just who she had brought back with her. Kurosaki had managed to shock Captain Unohana into complete silence and Captain Ukitake seemed to be worried about him as well.

"What do we tell him Captain?" The Kido Corps member asked.

"Tell him, 'He's back'."

* * *

Captain-Commander Yamamoto was having a slow day. Exam time for the academy was approaching and he had to look at the student's applications that had wanted to join his squad and then finish the pile of paperwork that came with being the Captain-Commander. He was about to look over another student application when he felt the reiatsu of a shinigami quickly approaching his office. He didn't have a meeting right now so it would have to be an emergency. He let a pulse of his reiatsu out to notify his squad members to let the approaching messenger to his office without incident. His office doors opened mere moments before an out of breath kidō corps member appeared in front of him.

"I have an urgent message from Captain Ukitake for you Captain-Commander Yamamoto." He announced in between gasps.

"What is this message?" Yamamoto asked with a raised eyebrow. If Jūshirō sent an urgent message, then the situation would be important.

"He only said 'He's back.'" The corps member answered still breathing heavily.

"Where is Captain Ukitake right now?" Yamamoto asked. This message had the potential to be the best news he had gotten in a few years.

"He and Captain Unohana are waiting by the senkaimon." The corps member had caught his breath now.

"Go relay the same message to Captain Kyōraku and have him wait in my office." Yamamoto ordered while heading out of his office and then disappearing in a shunpo heading towards the senkaimon.

* * *

Jūshirō's hand had left his zanpakutō and he reached over and gently lowered Retsu's shock frozen hands. He looked over at the man that he hadn't seen in over 200 years.

"All kidō corps members stand down!" Jūshirō ordered. Every corps members gave him a look of extreme confusion but a stern nod from the normally relaxed captain made them follow the order. Jūshirō looked back to Ichigo and gave him a small nod and Ichigo game him a small smile in return. Ichigo started to slowly walk towards Jūshirō and despite being told to stand down, the kidō corps members tensed up.

"Welcome back Oji-chan." Jūshirō said as Ichigo drew him into a hug.

"It's good to be back Jūshirō-bō." Ichigo responded.

Rukia's eyes shot wide as she heard her captain and Kurosaki greet each other.

_"How old is he!? Captain Ukitake is one of the oldest captains and he just called him his uncle!"_ Rukia mind was frozen in shock.

"She has been waiting a long time to see you Oji-chan. Best not to keep her waiting." Jūshirō whispered to Ichigo as their hug ended. Ichigo nodded and gave Jūshirō a small squeeze on his shoulder as he walked towards Retsu.

As Ichigo walked towards Retsu, the rest of the world faded away. All he could see was Retsu with eyes wide with shock slowly getting closer as he walked painfully slow towards her. As he stopped in front of Retsu, he reached out and cupped he face in his hands. Her eyes seemed to regain their focus and she leaned into his touch. Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed into the face of the most important man in her life.

"Is it you tōchan?" She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"It's me Hime-chan." Ichigo responded in a voice just as quiet.

With those words, she was that small girl that he found all those years ago and she stepped forward and buried her face into his haori. Ichigo just held her tightly and soon had tears running down his face.

"Are you going to stay?" He voice was muffled slightly because of his haori.

"I promise to never leave you again Retsu." He didn't speak these words only to her but also as a vow to himself.

Jūshirō watched the father reunite with his daughter with a smile on his face. He looked behind him and saw Rukia with her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.

"I know you have questions Rukia-kun. Please be patient and I promise you that I will try to answer them as best I can. For now, please wait for me back as the division." Jūshirō asked in a gentle tone.

"Yes Captain Ukitake." Rukia responded in a quiet voice before leaving in a burst of shunpo.

Jūshirō watched her leave and turned around as he felt the reiatsu of the Captain-Commander.

"Everyone here is dismissed except for captains!" Yamamoto ordered in a strong voice. The kidō corps members didn't even hesitate and were gone before the Captain-Commander finished speaking. He glanced at Jūshirō before turning towards Ichigo and Retsu. They had wiped the tears from their faces and turned to face Yamamoto. Ichigo had a large grin on his face and an arm around Retsu with her leaning into him.

"It is good to see you again Ichigo." Yamamoto said in a gentle tone few had heard before.

"It's been to long Ani-chan." Ichigo replied.

"Shunsui is waiting for us in my office. We have much to discuss and we should not keep him waiting." Ichigo nodded in response.

"We should be on our way then." He said with a grin.

* * *

Shunsui was having a good day. He had managed to hide from his lieutenant and avoid the mountain of paperwork she would have buried him under. He was currently lying under a tree finishing off a fresh bottle of sake. He was pre-celebrating because he had spoken to Retsu that morning and learned that Jūshirō may finally be cured of his illness. Shunsui was planning on taking Retsu and Jūshirō out tonight to celebrate the happy news. He was thinking of which bars they should hit up tonight when he felt a reiatsu approaching him.

"Yara yara, just as I was getting comfortable." He groaned as he stood up to greet the messenger.

"Captain Kyōraku, I have a message to you from Captain-Commander Yamamoto and a request to wait for him in his office." The kidō corps member reported with a bowed head.

"A message from Yama-jiji? Hopefully it doesn't involve more paperwork." Shunsui responded.

"The message is as follows, 'He's back'. The message was originally sent by Captain Ukitake." The messenger raised his head to see if Captain Kyōraku had any orders for him but when he looked up the captain had already left in a burst of shunpo.

Shunsui made his way towards the First Division as fast as possible and despite his reputation for being lazy; he was still one of the fastest shinigami alive. If the message he received was true, then he would definitely be celebrating tonight. He quickly arrived outside the barracks of the First Division and made his way inside. He gave a quick nod to the lieutenant of the First Division, Chōjirō Sasakibe, and entered Yamamoto's office. Shunsui took a seat and hoped that Yamamoto wouldn't keep him waiting long.

Shunsui wasn't kept waiting long. A few minutes after he sat down he felt several reiatsu's approach the office. He stood up and opened the doors in anticipation of their arrival and returned to his seat. As he sat down Yamamoto walked in with Jūshirō following closely behind him. Retsu followed soon after looking happier than he had seen her in many years. Seeing her confirmed his thoughts about who was about to walk through the door next. He wasn't disappointed when he saw the familiar head of hair enter the office. A large smile found its way onto Shunsui's face.

"Good to see ya again Oji-chan!" He said enthusiastically. Ichigo smiled back at him.

"And you too Shunsui-bō. How have you been?" He asked

"Pretty good. It's been quite around here. Perfect for naps." He answered with a grin. Ichigo just rolled his eyes and Jūshirō gave a small chuckle. Yamamoto chose this moment to cut in.

"I am happy to have you back Ichigo but I have to ask, why have you returned now?" He asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"I've come to terms with what happened. I made peace with those events and decided to stop running." He replied. Retsu smile grew. When her father had shown up that night, he was a broken man but now that she looked at him, he was whole again. She sat back and watched him interact with Yamamoto, Shunsui and Jūshirō. It looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he looked extremely happy.

A few hours later, only Shunsui, Retsu and Ichigo were left in the office. Jūshirō had returned to his division to make good on his promise to explain things to Rukia and Yamamoto left shortly after him saying he had some paperwork to finish up and invited Ichigo to have lunch with him the next day. Glancing at the clock Shunsui decided it was time for him to take his leave.

"I should be heading back now. Nanao-chan is probably worried sick about me." He said as he stood up

"Knowing you, she's probably going to be disappointed when you show up." Ichigo joked.

"You know me to well Oji-chan. Promise that you'll drop by soon?" Shunsui asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"Of course Shunsui. I'll drop in sometime this week." Ichigo answered. With a smile and a nod Shunsui exited the office leaving only Retsu and Ichigo inside.

"You've been very quiet Retsu. Is there anything wrong?" Ichigo had concern etched onto his face.

"No tōchan. I just wanted you to have time with them first." She responded with a smile.

"Well now that they're gone, I have plenty of time for you." Ichigo said with a grin.

"Would you like to head back to my office for tea?" She offered.

"That sounds perfect Hime." Ichigo gave her a large smile. Smiling back at him, she stood up and led him to the Fourth Division.

* * *

**A/N: **Ichigo and Retsu reunite! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review!

More term definition.

Bō – suffix used for young children. I thought it worked well with almost everyone being infants compared to Ichigo's age

Oji-chan – A way of calling someone your uncle if they are younger than your parent.

Ani-chan – older brother


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Jūshirō decided to walk to walk back to his division after leaving the First Division to go over his thoughts. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. First, Retsu had told him he was close to being completely healed, then Rukia Kuchiki came back from her first mission safely and finally, Ichigo had returned to Soul Society after 200 years. He smiled softly. He couldn't remember being this happy in a long time.

As he made his way into his office, he prepared two cups of tea and headed into the garden behind the division. Spotting Rukia looking into the koi pond he walked over to her.

"Would you like some tea Rukia-kun?" He asked while extending one of the cups of tea. Rukia looked up and accepted to offered cup and took a small sip.

"Thank you Captain Ukitake." She thanked. She didn't know how to breach the subject about Kurosaki without seeming rude. Fortunately, her captain seemed to read her thoughts.

"I believe you had some questions about Ichigo?" Jūshirō asked with a small smile.

"Yes Captain. Just who is he?" Rukia was excited to finally get some answers. Jūshirō let out a heavy sigh.

"You will get a different answer to that question depending on who you ask. To someone like Captain Kyōraku or me, he is our uncle and teacher. To the Captain-Commander, he is a younger brother. To Retsu, he is her father." He answered. Rukia was trying to process this information. Ichigo was a man who was family to the strongest people in Soul Society. How had she not heard of him before?

"When I asked him who he was back in Karakura Town, he seemed upset that I didn't know and mentioned the academy." Rukia said thinking back to their first meeting. Jūshirō let out a small laugh.

"Only he would get upset about something he did. He made sure that the academy taught the history of the Seireitei but also made sure that certain people had their names omitted from the history books. The reason he was upset was another answer to your first question. To historians, Ichigo was one of the founding members of the Gotei 13." Rukia couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"So when you say he's the Captain-Commanders younger brother…" She started.

"They are only separated by 4 years. They may have lost count of their real ages but they still know how far apart they are from each other." Jūshirō finished.

"He said he was older than most when I asked him but I never thought me meant that he was as old as the Captain-Commander." She was shocked by this revelation.

"He always liked to give half-answers. He wanted to see if his students could figure out what he was trying to teach them based off of what little hint he gave them." Jūshirō said as he chuckled.

"He was a teacher?" Rukia asked.

"Oh yes. He and Yamamoto founded the Shin'ō Academy and were some of the best teachers there. They taught some large classes now and again but they mainly focused on training future captains. The Captain-Commander took Captain Kyōraku and me as his students and Ichigo took Captain Unohana as his." He replied.

"You said that he was Captain Unohana's father?" She said as more of a question than a statement.

"Yes but they weren't related biologically. It started off as a teacher-student relationship but eventually grew into a father-daughter relationship. You could see the beginnings of it when she was still at the academy. Another student had become infatuated with Captain Unohana. When Ichigo found out, he immediately found the student, dragged him into an empty classroom and stated interrogating him about his intentions with her." Jūshirō replied as he laughed. Rukia gave a small chuckle at the story and asked her next question.

"Why did he leave?" This was the one question Rukia needed to know the answer to. Jūshirō's face lost his smile and his eyes grew sad.

"That is the one question that only Ichigo may answer. He may answer you if you ask him yourself." Jūshirō replied.

"How do you know he's staying Captain?" Rukia asked.

"I know because he promised Captain Unohana." Jūshirō then turned and began to walk back to his office leaving Rukia with her thoughts.

* * *

Ichigo looked around the room he was sitting in while he sipped his tea. The walls were bare except for the large Fourth Division symbol behind Retsu's desk. The desk itself was almost clear except for a few pieces of paperwork that still needed to be done. Setting his tea down, he looked across the small table and smiled at his daughter.

"How have you been Retsu?" He asked.

"I have been well. The division is doing well and there has been a lack of medical work to do, thankfully." She replied. Ichigo gave a small frown.

"I didn't ask how your division was doing Retsu. I wanted to know how you have been." He scolded lightly. Retsu gave a small sigh, frustrated at her father for catching her attempt to avoid the subject.

"I am well. I keep up with my duties as a captain and look after my division." She stated. Ichigo got the hint and allowed the subject to rest for now.

"What did you do while in the Human world tōchan?" Retsu asked.

"When I first got there, I simply wallowed in my guilt. I wanted to believe that the entire event was my fault and for a time I did. Once the felling of guilt went away I decided to hunt down the hollow. I searched for 50 years and never found it. After that, I travelled the world seeing beautiful sights and trying to see as much as I could. I guess I was trying to live for them." He replied with a sad smile. It still hurt to talk about them somewhat.

"And when did you meet Rukia Kuchiki?" She asked.

"I was catching up with Urahara in Karakura Town and felt her reiatsu. I hadn't heard much about Soul Society for a while and wanted an update. She reminds me a bit of you when you were still a little academy student." He answered with a smile.

"Oh? How so?" Retsu asked with a grin.

"She has a lot of potential and she's very curious." He replied.

"And she also has someone who is very protective of her." She said with a sly smile.

"Hey! I wasn't that over protective! I didn't keep you from being captain did I?" Ichigo shouted. Retsu just giggled at his reaction.

"No you didn't but what about all those boys you interrogated?" She laughed.

"I had to make sure that they were good enough for my little Hime didn't I?" Ichigo said completely confident in his logic. Retsu just laughed and they dove into another story full of happy memories.

Soon, the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky.

"It's getting late. We should probably head to bed." Ichigo said as he looked out the window.

"Do you have a place to sleep tonight tōchan?" Retsu asked.

"Ani-chan said that he had a room ready for me at the Yamamoto estate. I'll be staying there for now." He replied. They both stood up and walked towards the door. Before he walked out, Retsu embraced Ichigo in a firm hug.

"It's good to have you back tōchan. I missed you." Ichigo smiled at her and hugged her back.

"I missed you too Hime. I'll see you tomorrow." He replied as her kissed her forehead and made his way out of the Fourth Division.

* * *

Ichigo woke up early the next morning and quickly got dressed and made his way to the dining room for breakfast. Shortly after he sat down, Yamamoto entered and sat down across from him.

"Did you sleep well last night Ichigo?" He asked while pouring himself and Ichigo a cup of tea.

"Yes. Thank you for letting me stay here Genryūsai." Ichigo thanked while biting into some bread.

"It was the least I could do for my brother." He replied with a chuckle.

"How have you been since I left?" Ichigo asked.

"I have been well. I assume you learned about the exiles?" Yamamoto questioned.

"Yes. I assume you know that they are innocent?" Ichigo asked back knowing that Genryūsai wouldn't let them remain exiles without good reason.

"Of course. It is an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice. We still don't know the end goal of the master mind is so we need him to believe that we aren't aware of him for now. How are they doing?" He replied.

"You know how Urahara, Tessai and Yoruichi are doing. The others managed to gain control and are currently training to learn how to master their new abilities." Ichigo reported.

"That is good news. We will need strong warriors when we confront the one responsible for their current predicament." Yamamoto said with some relief in his voice. Despite him appearing as a stern general he actually cared very deeply about his troops.

"Has Central 46 requested to see me yet?" Ichigo asked. He knew he would be called before them sooner or later. He was hoping for later.

"No. I have managed to keep news of your return from reaching their ears as well as the publics. You will probably have a week until they summon you." Yamamoto answered and then asked.

"What will you do in the meantime?"

"Probably continue to check up with everyone. Maybe introduce myself to the captains I haven't met yet." Ichigo said with a small shrug. Yamamoto simply nodded and they settled into a comfortable silence as they finished their breakfast.

Ichigo stood up from the table having finished his meal.

"Thanks for breakfast. I'll be walking around the Seireitei if you need me." He shouted over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

* * *

It was the early afternoon when Ichigo decided to see how Rukia was doing. He knew Jūshirō had told her some things about his past and she undoubtedly had more questions. Making his way over to the Kuchiki estate he found the current head of the Kuchiki clan and captain of the Sixth Division sitting on a bench underneath a sakura tree. The tree was almost in full bloom with only a few petals floating through the air. The man had not acknowledged his presence yet and did not look at him when Ichigo took a seat next to him on the bench.

"This tree will be in full bloom soon. This garden must look beautiful in the fall." Ichigo commented.

"It is." He said in response.

"It has been a long time since I have been in these gardens." Ichigo said hoping that his comment would interest the Kuchiki head. He merely arched in eyebrow but other than that showed no other emotion.

"I was hoping to see Rukia today. Do you know where she is?" Ichigo asked. He realized that this man didn't want to talk.

"I do. I would like to learn how you know her before I tell you though." He replied tonelessly.

"I met her in the human world. I wanted to see how she was doing." Ichigo answered.

"I hope you did not help her on her mission. She needs the experience." Ichigo let out a chuckle at this.

"When I observed Rukia, her strength was that of a fifth seat. When I asked her, she said she was currently unseated. I heard Jūshirō was getting better so it's unlikely that his illness has clouded his judgement." Ichigo said.

"I have nothing to say on that subject. Rukia is at her division training." The Kuchiki head said harshly. Ichigo just stood up and bowed to him.

"Thank you for the information. I do have another question though. For a tree to grow to be as beautiful as this one must have had someone taking very good care of it, who took care of this one?" Ichigo asked.

"I did, since I was a young boy." The man answered.

"You have done a marvellous job. Just remember, there comes a time where it will no longer need you to protect it. Step back and admire you work when that time comes." Ichigo said before disappearing in a burst of shunpo.

* * *

Jūshirō breathed a sigh of relief as he finished the last piece of paperwork for the day. He had worked all day and managed to complete all his work for the day without having a coughing fit. He was glad that he would soon be back at full strength. As he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, he heard a small knock as his door. Sitting up straight he called out.

"Come in!"

Jūshirō smiled as he saw the head of orange hair walk into the room.

"Have you come to visit Oji-chan? If I knew I would have some snacks ready for you." He said with a smile.

"Ya I thought I would drop in for a bit. I was hoping to speak with Rukia is possible." Ichigo replied.

"She should be in soon; she's out training right now. I'll send her a message telling her to come her once she's done." Jūshirō said as he summoned a hell butterfly to carry the message.

"That's good. I also wanted to speak to you about Rukia. More specifically, her rank." Ichigo said looking directly at Jūshirō. The white-haired man let out a sigh.

"I know where this conversation will go. I had no choice in the matter." He said.

"Who told you to hold her back? Her brother?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes. He wanted to make sure that she would be out of harm's way." Jūshirō answered.

"The best way to make sure that someone is protected is to make sure they can protect themselves first. You could have gone over his head. You are her captain." Ichigo said back.

"I couldn't actually. He approached me as the head of a Noble Family. He overruled my authority as captain." Jūshirō sighed. He knew Byakuya had his heart in the right place; he just went about showing it wrong.

"Why are you so invested in seeing her promoted?" Jūshirō asked.

"She has a lot of potential. I would hate to see it wasted." Ichigo replied.

"Are you thinking of taking her on as a student?" Jūshirō knew that Ichigo didn't usually take interest in many students.

"Perhaps. She'll have to impress me first." Ichigo replied. They both sat in silence for a moment before they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Jūshirō called out. The door opened and Rukia walked in.

"You wanted to see me Captain?" She asked.

"Actually, it was Ichigo here that wanted to see you." Jūshirō answered while gesturing to Ichigo.

"Why do you want to see me Kurosaki-sama?" Rukia asked. Ichigo just chuckled.

"You can just call me Ichigo. I never liked those honorifics." He replied.

"Alright, why do want to see me Ichigo?" She said again.

"The reason I wanted to see you is because you are going to fight me."

* * *

**A/N: **Finally getting to some action! Hope you're all looking forward to the fight next chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I don't own Bleach

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Rukia's eyes went wide.

"What!? Why am I going to fight you?" She shouted. Ichigo just gave her a big smile.

"Cause I haven't fought in a while and I need the practice, and from what I've heard, so do you." He replied in a calm tone.

"Captain! You can't be okay with him forcing me to fight, right?" Rukia asked her captain pleadingly. Jūshirō just looked over at Ichigo.

"I'll alert the Fourth Division. Don't get too rough." He said as he sat down behind his desk and made a shooing motion with his hand. Rukia couldn't believe that her captain wasn't going to help her. Ichigo just shouted his thanks and picked up Rukia and slung her over his shoulder.

"Put me down you jackass! I don't want to fight you!" She shouted as he started to flash-step to the training grounds.

"Too bad Kuchiki! Besides, we're already here. It'd be a waste of a trip not to fight now." He said as he placed her on the ground.

"How can it be a waste of a trip if I didn't want to go in the first place?" She asked him as she stood up and brushed some dirt of her clothes. The only answer she got was the sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

"I already told you Kuchiki. You are going to fight me. I never gave you the choice." There was no smile on his face now. Rukia looked at him in fear. His entire body was radiating power now. From his stance to his gaze, he looked like he was ready to kill. Even his sword looked terrifying. The hilt was still the same blood-red with silver that she remembered seeing in the Human World but the blade looked like it was absorbing some of the sunlight into the metal. The entire blade looked like molten silver but when the light hit it right, Rukia swore she saw red being reflected on its edge. Then, without warning, Ichigo charged Rukia and slashed at her neck. Rukia barely managed to duck under the blade and felt some strands of hair get cut in place of her neck.

"What the hell! You could have killed me!" She shouted at him. Ichigo just looked at her dumbly and tilted his head to the side.

"I must be really rusty if you managed to dodge that swing. I'll try harder next time." He replied before launching himself at Rukia. This time she was quick enough to draw her zanpakutō and block the strike. The force behind the attack was still too strong and she was quickly driven back by the force of impact. Rukia managed to get into a defensive stance before Ichigo's next attack came. He came at her right side, jabbing quickly, hoping to stab her side. Rukia was quick enough to block most of his jabs but gained small cuts along her arms.

"Not bad Kuchiki! You're not as weak as I thought you were! Maybe you should release that little sword though! You might not last much longer if you don't!" Ichigo taunted. Rukia glared daggers at him and charged him preparing to attack. Ichigo grinned to himself as she had taken his bait.

"_Short temper. Attacks if insulted."_ He made a mental note for later. She swung her sword down at him hoping to slice his shoulder but Ichigo parried with his own blade. Sparks flew between the two blades as Rukia's sword slid down the length of Ichigo's. Taking advantage of the break in her attack, Ichigo took one hand off his sword and pointed a finger at Rukia.

"Shō."

Rukia was instantly thrown back by some invisible force. Rukia was shocked at what just happened. Ichigo had pushed her back 7 feet by the first Hadō by just using its name. It was rare for someone to be able to use Kidō that well without calling the spells number. The only people she knew that could were either captains or had a natural gift for kidō.

"I told you to release your sword Rukia. If you don't I might badly hurt you." Ichigo shouted to her. When she made no move to release her sword he raised a flat palm to her.

"Shakkahō."

A large ball of red energy shot from Ichigo's hand and flew towards Rukia. Ichigo saw her mouth start to shout something but the explosion caused by the spell drowned out her words. Ichigo looked into the dust cloud that had formed and hoped that she wasn't hurt too badly. Suddenly, a bolt of pale blue lightning shot out of the dust and struck his shoulder. He grimaced and looked at the wound. It didn't shoot through him but it did burn the skin.

"_So she does know how to fight._" He thought to himself. He was about to heal the small wound but had to block a strike as Rukia charged him, coming out of the dust cloud.

"Nice to see you aren't dead yet Kuchiki but you're not looking that good either." Ichigo commented. Rukia's arms were singed from his kidō and she was bleeding from several smaller wounds on her upper body. Forcing her sword off his, he drew his back for a strike.

Rukia managed to get her sword back into position just in time to block the strike. The force still stung her hands and her arms were starting to feel numb. She was starting to get tired but really wanted to prove to Ichigo the she wasn't weak before she was completely exhausted.

"_He wants to see my shikai? I'll show him then!"_ She shouted in her mind. Dodging his next attack, she jumped back to put some distance between Ichigo and herself. Holding her sword out in front her and spun it counter-clockwise.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." As she spoke the release command a cold rush of air spread out from Rukia and her sword became pure white. Her guard changed into a hollow snowflake design and a long white ribbon formed attached to the bottom of the hilt.

Ichigo looked at her zanpakutō and smiled. He could sense that it was powerful and even though it was beautiful it shouldn't be underestimated.

"It's about time Rukia. Now show me what your zanpakutō can do!" He shouted as he charged at her. He swung his sword at her waist. Rukia dodged the swing by jumping back and held her sword upside down. Ichigo continued his attack and dashed at her, ready to strike her.

"First Dance, Tsukishiro!" She called out as she drew a circle in the air with the tip of her sword. A circle formed on the ground in front of her and started to glow a bright white. Seeing Ichigo coming towards her she smiled and held her sword up to block. Just before Ichigo could reach Rukia, a giant tower of ice shot out of the white circle and imprisoned him inside. Rukia let out a small sigh. She wouldn't have been able to withstand another blow from Ichigo.

Ichigo was surprised when he got caught inside the tower of ice caused by Rukia's shikai. He thought that he had to touch the circle to activate its effects but it appeared that Rukia could control when it went off. Rukia had definitely impressed him. Now all he had to do was end this fight without seriously harming her. First thing he had to do though was to break the ice. Focusing, he let out some of his reiatsu. He heard the ice start to crack and then his cold prison shattered.

Rukia's eyes went wide as she saw the ice start to crack. The reiatsu coming from inside the ice tower was making it hard to breath and she was only able to stand by propping herself on her sword. No one had been able to shatter Tsukishiro using just reiatsu before. She watched as the tower shattered but was shocked to see that Ichigo was no longer inside it. She heard the sound of someone using shunpo behind her.

"Well done Rukia. See you when you wake up." Was all Rukia heard before Ichigo increased his reiatsu and she passed out due to the immense pressure.

Ichigo looked down at her unconscious body and smiled. He kneeled down and picked her up gently and left in a burst of shunpo, heading towards the Fourth Division.

* * *

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at a white ceiling.

"It's good to see that you are awake." A voice said to her right. Turning to see who it was, she was greeted by Captain Unohana's smiling face.

"What happened?" Rukia asked in a dry voice.

"It would seem that my father went overboard in his fight against you." Retsu replied while shooting a glare across the room. Rukia followed her glare and saw Ichigo sitting in the corner with a sheepish look on his face.

"Don't be mean Retsu. I only knocked her out using reiatsu." Ichigo said. His response only made Retsu send him another glare.

"How long have I been here?" Rukia asked. Retsu immediately dropped her glare and smiled at Rukia again.

"You've been unconscious for one day. The wounds you gained during the battle were small and easy to heal. What made you lose consciousness was the amount of reiatsu Ichigo let out. You should be healthy enough to leave by tomorrow." Retsu replied.

"Can't I leave now? I feel fine." Rukia asked. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ichigo pale dramatically.

"You may feel fine, but it would be best if you stayed until tomorrow." Retsu said as she gave Rukia one of her 'special' smiles. Shivers went up Rukia's spine as Retsu smiled at her. She was somehow broadcasting a terrifying aura through a smile.

"O-of course. W—whatever you say Captain Unohana." Rukia stuttered. Retsu just nodded happily and walked out of the room. Ichigo sighed and walked over to stand beside Rukia's hospital bed.

"Never, ever, go against what Retsu says when it comes to your health." He warned. Rukia had the feeling that he had seen that smile many times.

"What are you still doing here anyways Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Had to make sure I didn't kill you by mistake didn't I?" He joked and then continued.

"I also had an offer for you. You impressed me in our little spar." He said.

"_Little spar!? Is that what he thinks we had? I don't even want to think what qualifies as a fight to him."_ She thought to herself.

"I want you to become my student." Ichigo's voice cut through her thoughts.

"What? Why would you want to teach me? I'm not even a seated officer!" Rukia almost shouted. She couldn't understand why one of the oldest shinigami alive would want to teach her. Ichigo just chuckled at her questions.

"Like I said, you impressed me. You don't have to answer me right now. I will warn you that being my student will be one of the hardest things you will ever experience. Do not accept this expecting anything less. I expect you to have an answer in seven days." He turned and left the hospital leaving Rukia to consider his offer.

* * *

Shunsui poured another cup of sake for himself.

"So Ichigo is going to take Rukia-chan as his new student?" Shunsui asked the man sitting across from him.

"She hasn't given him an answer yet. He said he wants one in a week's time." Jūshirō replied with a smile. Shunsui took a sip of his drink.

"Do you want her to accept? You know how hard he pushed Retsu when he trained her, and that was for basic self-defence." Shunsui said with a curious look on his face.

"I will admit that her accepting his offer will worry me but I am confident she'll be able to handle it." Jūshirō answered. Shunsui just nodded at his answer and then chuckled into his cup.

"I wonder how Byakuya will take the news." He chuckled and then finished his drink.

* * *

**A/N:** I hoped the fight scene wasn't that bad. It's the first one I've ever written so that's my excuse. As always, thank you for reading and please review.


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